The silence on the training ground was thick enough to choke on. Liang Jin stood frozen, his hand still tingling from the inexplicable push of energy. The mockery in his eyes had been completely replaced by a stunned, simmering fury. He had been publicly humiliated, not by a powerful technique, but by something he couldn't even comprehend.
Before he could gather his wits for another, more reckless attempt, a voice of authority cut through the tension.
"That is enough."
Elder Guo, a stern-faced man with a long grey beard and eyes that missed nothing, strode onto the training ground. The disciples immediately bowed, their forms rigid with respect. His gaze swept over Liang Jin's group with disapproval before settling on Wang Chen and the others. He had felt the spatial disturbance of their arrival and had witnessed the entire exchange.
"The four of you," Elder Guo's voice was low but carried immense weight. "The Grand Elder summons you. Immediately."
A ripple of shock went through the assembled disciples. A summons from the Grand Elder himself was a momentous event, reserved for the most promising core disciples or for adjudicating grave matters.
Li's playful grin didn't falter, though it became more calculated. Kael's expression remained stoic, but his posture straightened even further. Jian's hand, which had been resting near her sword, fell calmly to her side. Wang Chen simply nodded, his shifting sphere disappearing into the fold of his robe as if it had never been there.
They followed Elder Guo, leaving a training ground buzzing with whispered speculation. Liang Jin watched them go, his fists clenched so tightly his nails drew blood from his palms. The "elephant boy" was walking alongside the Grand Elder's emissary as an equal. The world had been turned upside down.